Chapter 4 of the manual of Epictetus

When you are about to undertake something, remind yourself what it is you are going to do. If you are going to take a swim, realize what happens in a pool: people who splash you, who bump into you, who scold you or steal from you. You will be less at risk if you tell yourself from the start: 'I wish to go swimming, but I also want to preserve my natural peace of mind'. Do likewise with everything you undertake. If anything should happen that interferes with your swimming, you are ready to say: ‘Oh well, this was not the only thing I wanted, I also wanted to keep my peace of mind. And I will not succeed if I get angry now.‘

This was familiar terrain for the students. They visited the baths a few times a week and perhaps even daily. The swimming pools of that time were more like what we now call a tropical swimming paradise. In principle you came there only to wash yourself, but there was a lot more to entertain you. There were saunas, pools, sports fields, masseurs, beauticians and restaurants. A visit to such a bathhouse would usually have been relaxing, but the behaviour of your fellow bathers could also be a source of irritation. Epictetus offers his students a remedy to prevent such an unpleasant emotion.

Here, too, he warns us to keep a close eye on how the world works. In the previous chapter you had to keep in mind what the things you love are in reality, and now you have to realize what it really is that you want to do. Epictetus knew that a minor unimportant incident could considerably upset your mood. For example, an unfriendly treatment at the front desk or someone who jumps the queue can irritate you so much that it thoroughly spoils your visit at a relaxing bathhouse. Before you know what’s happening you start scolding, splashing and pushing others, yourself. Not really relaxed and that is a shame, especially because it can be prevented

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Epictetus gives two advices to prevent such unnecessary irritations. In the first place you must realize what it is you are going to do. You have to prepare yourself mentally for the things that can happen in a bathhouse. If you are prepared an annoying event does not come quite as unexpectedly what reduces the chance that you get annoyed. In the second place, Epictetus advises his pupils to keep a second objective in mind with everything they undertake. You do not only want to visit the bathhouse, but you also want to keep your peace of mind. You will not achieve that last objective if you are annoyed by the things that usually happen in a bathhouse. You do not have any control over whether or not you will have a pleasant stay in the bathhouse, but you do have control over your reactions. Epictetus reminds his students that they can always succeed in the goal of preserving their peace of mind. And that also gives a nice feeling, even when a relaxed bath has fallen into the water.